FA 'may waive Wembley fines'

The English Football Association could waive millions of pounds worth of late fines built up by Wembley’s builders in a bid to get the stadium open on time.

According to the Observer newspaper today, the FA have decided on a climbdown regarding financial penalties notched up by developers Multiplex to avoid a court battle.

It was reported last week that the Australian company was challenging in court the penalty charges for late completion of almost £1m (€1.48m) a week.

The newspaper has said the association’s subsidiary Wembley National Stadium Limited (WNSL) will agree not to pursue a claim so the ground can instead open and start earning money.

The news comes after bookmaker William Hill last week made the 90,000 capacity arena odds on favourite not to be open in time for the 2007 FA Cup Final.

Both sides have blamed each other for the delay.

WNSL has accused Multiplex of “deliberately confusing” the issues over a claim they cannot complete Wembley until after WNSL has held test events at the stadium.

But the stadium operators insist these test events will be carried out only after Multiplex have hand the stadium over.

The £757m (€1,12bn) stadium was due to be handed over in January, but since then dozens of football and matches and concerts have had to be moved elsewhere.

Work still needs to be completed on the roof, drainage and safety systems, and 10,000 of the 90,000 seats still need to be installed.

However, the FA has said no plans have been made to book the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for the FA Cup Final, which has been used while Wembley is under redevelopment.